GCU shifts two departments to KSK campus

LAHORE : Government College University (GCU) Lahore has shifted its two departments including one institute to the purpose-built Academic Block of its new 367 acres campus at Kala Shah Kaku (KSK).

GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi said that the university was providing additional facilities to the students of these departments and the institute on the New Campus, adding that these facilities included free shuttle service after every hour between old campus and new campus, on-campus high speed internet, departmental libraries, large playgrounds, cafeteria, graduate and faculty rooms and additional security.

Besides the newly-established Institute of History, the university shifted departments of Geography and Physical Education and Sports Sciences to the new campus having a space for around 2,000 students. The Institute of History comprises three departments: Archives Studies, History, and History of Art.

Prof Zaidi said that the new Department of Media and Communication Studies and Sheikh Abul Hassan Shazli Research Centre are also established at the New Campus. The Punjab government has transferred funds for constructing a new building of the Shazli Centre at the New Campus of GCU.

The Vice Chancellor further said the university also posted administrative staff of the Registrar's Office, Controller of Examinations and Treasurer’s Office at the New Campus to facilitate students and faculty. Newly-built family apartments were also allocated to faculty and staff who would be performing duties at the New Campus.

Highlighting the facilities at the New Campus, Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi, GCU’s VC, said “to make this a smart campus with fast internet connectivity, we imported equipment from Germany besides our university’s shuttle service will connect both Campuses. We have also arranged vehicles for emergency and urgent use and deputed extra guards for security of students,” he said.

Prof Zaidi said newly shifted departments would have state-of-the-art facilities such as their own libraries, and the Geography Department will establish GIS Lab, and the Institute of History is establishing Art Gallery and Archive Lab.

“The Department of Media Studies will have multiple highly modern studios. We are already working on building one of the largest libraries in South Asia at the New Campus with a capacity of nearly 13000 readers,” Prof Zaidi said. The Vice Chancellor further said: “Our Old Campus has the capacity of 9,000 students but right now it has more than 14,000 students which is seriously affecting our learning processes and expansion of the administrative and academic departments despite the availability of a human resource.